Michigan’s Moritz “Moe” Wagner recalled watching NBA games in the middle of the night when he was growing up in Germany. Now, he’s a first-round pick of the Lakers. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

EL SEGUNDO — Moe Wagner made one giant leap from Berlin to Ann Arbor, Michigan, as an unheralded college recruit. He managed to attract the attention of Wolverines coach John Beilein, who traveled to Germany to see him in person after viewing a highlight-reel video of his play.

The next jump will take the 21-year-old Wagner from the University of Michigan campus to Los Angeles after the Lakers picked him 25th overall in the NBA draft on Thursday. Wagner, a 6-foot-11 forward, was simply too good for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to pass up.

Pelinka could have opted for Robert Williams, a 6-10 center from Texas A&M.

The Boston Celtics selected Williams with the 27th pick.

Or he could have picked a guard such as Jacob Evans, a versatile 6-6 guard from Cincinnati.

Evans went to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who selected him 28th.

Instead, Pelinka selected a big man who idolized countryman Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett growing up. Pelinka also drafted a fellow Wolverine. Pelinka was a member of Michigan’s 1989 NCAA championship team and played in two other Final Fours before earning business and law degrees.

Wagner averaged a team-leading 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds as a junior, leading Michigan to the NCAA championship game and winning a pair of West Regional games at Staples Center along the way. He worked out for the Lakers on June 3 and again Monday, during a session that was held out of the view of reporters.

The Lakers invited 125 players for pre-draft workouts in El Segundo.

“It’s going to be cool,” Wagner said of his selection. “It’s going to be a cool journey.”

Wagner, who was joined at the draft by his parents, several German friends and the Michigan coaching staff, said he didn’t have a chance to speak to Pelinka about a role for next season.

Thursday was a time to celebrate. The rest will happen soon enough.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t worried about that yet,” Wagner said of his brief conversation with Pelinka. “It happened a couple of minutes ago. I just can’t stop smiling. My dream came true and everything else. I’ll hear about it much, much later. …

“Growing up I was a huge NBA fan. I remember getting up at 3 a.m., watching the games, and Dirk had a huge impact on that, being a player who made it, being a player who did incredible things in the league. I was just a skinny kid from Germany.

“The dream is very, very far away when you’re over there.”

Pelinka praised not only Wagner’s perimeter shooting, passing and footwork, but his personality.

“When you build a team, you have to have pillars to build on,” Pelinka said. “You have to have high-IQ players. We’ve added shooting and guys (in the draft who just know how to play the game the right way. (Lakers coach) Luke (Walton) was incredibly excited by our choices.

“Moe Wagner, the game requires bigs who can spread the floor. We noticed he’s a tremendous passer, great screener in pick-and-roll, coached by John Beilein. You guys are going to love Moe Wagner. He literally lights up a room when he walks into it.”

By night’s end, the Lakers had drafted three European-born players.

The Lakers also selected Isaac Bonga, an 18-year-old forward from Germany, with the 39th pick, one they acquired in a Wednesday night trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers received a second-round selection via the Chicago Bulls in next year’s draft, plus cash. The deal cannot be made official until July 6, so the team is not allowed to discuss Bonga.

Then the Lakers selected Sviatoslav “Svi” Mykhailiuk, a 6-8 guard from the University of Kansas via Ukraine, with the 47th pick. Mykhailiuk, 20, averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists and was among the nation’s best 3-point shooters as a senior last season with the Jayhawks.

Thursday’s draft was a mere warmup for the Lakers’ free-agent pursuit of LeBron James and Paul George starting July 1. The Lakers’ interest in trading for Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs took a hit when the Spurs declined to talk about a deal, according to an ESPN report.

Julius Randle’s uncertain status as an impending restricted free agent also played a role in selecting Wagner, a hedge against Randle’s possible departure. Randle averaged a career-high 16.1 points plus 8 rebounds while playing 82 games for the first time in his four-year career last season.

What’s more, center Brook Lopez can become a free agent July 1.

“I think there’s an incredible excitement to get to July 1,” Pelinka said.

Elliott Teaford covers the Anaheim Ducks for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. He covered the Ducks for 12 years, including the Stanley Cup season, for the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze before returning to the beat in 2018 for SCNG. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.